Playground surfaces need to offer maximum protection to children in the event of a fall. Children’s games can often involve harmless tumbles which do not need to cause any damage as long as there is the correct landing surface. Concrete offers little by way of cushioning. Safety flooring is specifically engineered to create the safest possible environment for children to play and enjoy themselves. Designed with a special wide cone foot, the ‘bounce’ factor is integral to the product and helps guarantee children are as safe as possible. Safety flooring is also often designed with rounded corners and ramped edges to further remove trip hazards and increase wheelchair accessibility.
In addition, specific safety flooring is a non slip surface. This provides grip which reduces the probability of slips or trips, especially in wet weather. Safety flooring is usually porous and has good drainage, meaning they retain their non slip capabilities even when it is raining and there are no puddles created in the area.
Within the school, safety flooring can also incorporate floor coverings like Altro, a patented non slip vinyl with preventative anti-slip grain pattern discreetly worked into the high grade vinyl to ensure a durable surface on which children are unlikely to fall. Moreover, it has Altrosan bacteriostat integrated into the surface to help combat bacterial growth, particularly relevant in school environments, and the options of having either Maxis Easyclean PUR or Easyclean Technology incorporated into the vinyl to help the surface be very easy to maintain to a high standard. The product also comes with a significant warranty, guaranteeing its non slip surface and safety ratings.
Children are undoubtedly hardy, but trips, slips and falls can cause nasty injuries and upset their developing confidence. There is a collective responsibility to ensure that the utmost is done to protect children from unnecessary harm. Under current Health and Safety legislation there is a legal duty to ensure the safety of users to a facility under your care or ownership, as well as the moral obligation in helping keep other people safe. When concerned with children’s play areas and school corridors, the importance is in making sure all staff and visitors are safe and that your legal responsibilities are fully met, as well as in providing a pleasant and welcoming environment. Unfortunately in the modern compensation culture there are risks associated with inadequate prevention of accidents, which can be minimised with proper safety flooring.
